Agriculture is often discussed in terms of production, markets, finance, technology and sustainability. But behind every successful farm or agribusiness are people – and managing them well is just as important to the success of the enterprise.
By Maphuti Mongatane, business development manager at African Farming
Dorah Tlala-Tanor, group chief HR officer and corporate affairs executive at Proconics, believes one of the most important shifts any business owner can make is to recognise that “people management is not an HR activity; it is a business discipline”. That perspective is particularly relevant to agriculture. “For me, it starts with clarity and dignity,” says Dorah. Employees need to understand what is expected of them, how their performance contributes to the success of the enterprise and how they will be treated in return.
Clear employment practices, fair remuneration, appropriate working conditions, performance management and consistently applying labour legislation all contribute to creating trust. In agriculture, where relationships between employers and employees can extend across generations, dignity and fairness become particularly important.
But effective people management goes beyond employment practices. It also needs investment in people. Agriculture is changing rapidly through technology, automation, climate pressures, new production methods and increasing demands for sustainability. Businesses cannot transform faster than their people. Farmers and agribusiness leaders therefore need to continuously invest in developing their workforce, including creating opportunities for young people, women and employees who may historically have had limited access to development.
Also read: Agriculture is more than farming – and that is opening doors for women and young people
Lead with dignity
Employee wellbeing and safety are equally important. Dorah believes these should be viewed as business imperatives rather than simply compliance exercises. A healthy, safe and respected workforce is more productive and more likely to remain committed to an organisation.
Leaders should also know their people and understand the realities affecting them beyond the workplace. At the heart of all this is leadership presence. “You cannot lead people only through policies, contracts and instructions,” Dorah says. People need to see leadership, experience leadership and trust leadership. That means listening to employees, communicating honestly, recognising contribution and addressing poor performance or misconduct fairly and consistently.
Whether an agricultural business employs five people or 5 000 people, the principle is the same. The way people are managed eventually shows up in the performance, reputation and sustainability of the business.
Dorah’s own leadership journey reinforces this connection between people and business. Having progressed through HR leadership and expanded into corporate affairs, she says she has learnt that business performance cannot be separated from people, relationships and reputation. These are not competing priorities, they are increasingly interconnected. Agriculture perhaps shows this better than many industries because the business exists within a deeply interconnected ecosystem of people, communities, land, markets and society.
Learn, unlearn and adapt
For agricultural leaders, this means looking beyond the immediate operation and understanding the broader environment in which the business exists. It also means recognising that leadership requires continuous learning. “The world of work is changing quickly,” Dorah says. Artificial intelligence, digitalisation, changing employee expectations, sustainability requirements and generational shifts are challenging established ways of doing business. Experience is still valuable, but experience without curiosity can become a limitation. Leaders must be willing to learn, unlearn and adapt.
Another lesson from Dorah’s leadership journey is that leadership is not about having all the answers. It’s about creating an environment in which the right conversations can happen and the right people can contribute. Some of the strongest leaders she has met, she says, are those who are confident enough to listen. For women, her journey has also reinforced the importance of occupying leadership spaces with confidence while remaining authentic. Women do not have to reproduce someone else’s model of leadership to show competence. Their perspectives, particularly around relationships, resilience, stakeholder awareness and inclusive decision-making, should not be underestimated.
Also read: ‘We want to do the right thing better’: The roots of Partners in Agri Land Solutions
Grow your people
Dorah’s advice to farmers and agribusiness owners is: “Grow your people with the same intentionality with which you grow your business.”
Agricultural businesses put a lot of effort into improving production, accessing markets, adopting technology, managing costs and building profitable enterprises. Yet none of these ambitions can be achieved without people. Markets will change. Technology will change. The climate will challenge the sector. Generations will change and new ways of working will emerge. Organisations that develop capable people, build trusted relationships and lead with both commercial discipline and humanity will be better positioned to navigate that uncertainty. Perhaps this is a conversation agriculture should have been having more often. Because ultimately, leadership is not only measured by what is built during one’s tenure. It is also measured by what remains strong because people were led well.
Also read: Africa’s women in agriculture take the spotlight with 2026 Women Agripreneurs of the Year (WAYA) Awards
